John mckenzle



(Mode1.)

J. MCKENZIE & J. FYFEQ IRON POST. 7

No 317,558. Patented May 12, 1885.-

wifinc 8868. Inventor's, 5% 5 John, M lfcnz l M W J6o7fl/68 Fyfe,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' JOHN MCKENZIE, or DEKORRA, AND JAMES FYFE, or PORTAGE, WIS.

IRON POST.

$PECIFICATIN forming part of Letters Patent No. 317,558, dated May 12, 1885.

Applica'titn filcd August 7, 1883. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN McKENzIE, of Dekorra, in the county of Columbia and State of Wisconsin, and JAMES FYFE, of Portage, in the county of Columbia and State of WViscousin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Iron Posts; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relatesto iron posts for fences and other purposes for which the posts now in use are commonly used.

It consists, essentially, of an upright tubular iron bar with anchoring-plates inserted through slots in its base.

Its objects are, first, a metallic post of simple construction and of moderate cost; second, a post combining strength with lightness, and one which will stand firmly in any kind of soil; and, third, a post which may be readily set by driving without digging apost-hole.

In the accompanying drawings, like letters refer to the same parts in the several figures.

Figure 1 is aside view of our improved post, the upper part of which is shown in section to illustrate the method of fastening wire thereto. Fig. 2 represents a slight modification of the same to be used at corners, where it is subjected to greater strain. Fig. 3 is a front view of our post; and Figs. etand 5 illustrate the method of adaptingthe post to board or picket fences, Fig. 4 being a sectional side view, and Fig. 5 a front View, each of which shows the post partly in section.

A is a piece of tubular iron of a suitable size for the upright part of the post. Two vertical slots are punched in the base of the upright bar A-one near the bottom and the other just below the groundlineto receive the metallic anchoring-plates B and O, which are inserted therein in the same vertical plane and parallel with the direction of the fence. The upper plate, B, is made considerably wider than the lower plate, O,which lies deeper inthe ground ,where the earth is more compact than at the surface.

The tubular bar A, above the ground-line, is punched at right angles to the slots in the base for the anchoring-plates B and O with a convenient number of small holes, a 0 c, to receive staples a a a or bolts 0 o 0, which furnish convenient fastenings for wire b b or plates D D, whenever it is desired to adapt the post for use in wire, board, or picket fences.

The plates D D are punched with holes, by means of which rails or boards E E for picket or board fences are attached.

For corner or single posts, which are subjected to greater strain, we use an additional upper anchoring-plate, B, secured in the upright tubular bar A in the same manner as the plates Band C, and at right angles to them.

For stillgreater firmness, we may use asec- 0nd small anchoring-plate, O, at the bottom of the post at right angles to plate 0.

WVhen the additional plates B and C are used, they may be set just above or below the plates B and O; or they may be notched at the center, so as to interlock and occupy the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, in which case one of the slots in the upright A is made a little longer than the other to permit of the insertion of the second plate after the first has been placed.

When used in fences, the posts are set with their anchoring-plates parallel therewith, or in any case at right angles to thedirection of the greatest strain.

In building wire fence with our improved post the staples a a a are passed over the wire I) I) through the holes 0 c c in the uprights A, and clinched on the opposite sides, so as to clamp the wires firmly to the faces of the post, as shown in Fig. 1, and thereby prevent their slipping in either direction.

When it is desired to use our posts for board or picket fences, in place of the staples a a a we provide the plates D D D, secured to the uprights A by bolts 0 0 0 passing through the holes 0 00 therein. The plates D D are perforated to receive the bolts, rivets, or screws by means of which the boards or rails EE are secured to them, as shown in Figs. 4. and 5.

Bars for the attachment of pickets may be secured to the uprights A at the top and bottom in the manner just described.

When properly set, the plates 0 G prevent the posts from working loose at the bottom, and the plates B B brace them near the surface of the ground and prevent them from swaying in either direction.

To prevent settlingin soft or marshy ground, one or more of the anchoring-plates may be given a quarter-twist, more or less, as required by the circumstances in each case, Figs. 4 and 5.

We do not wish to confine our post simply to use in fences, as it may be applied with equal advantage to many purposes for which the posts now made are commonly usedsuch as telegraph-posts, hitching-posts, clothes line posts, 8130.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As a new article of manufacture, an iron post composed of the tubular upright A and the metallic anchoring-plates B and O, inserted through vertical slots punched through the base of said upright A, one above the other, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an iron post composed of the tubular upright A and the metallic anchoring-plates B B and G O, inserted through vertical slots in said upright and placed in pairs at right angles to each other, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. As a new article of manufacture, an iron post composed of the tubular upright A and the anchoring-plates B and O,inserted through vertical slots cut one above the other in the base of said upright and twisted as they protrude from said upright,so as to have a greater horizontal surface, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we affixour signatures in presence of two witnesses.-

JOHN MCKENZIE. J AMES FYFE.

Ni tn esses:

THOBIAS WILLmiusoN, S. RAYMOND. 

